tank full or empty?

[Sam Boychuk]

I live in Canada and store my bike for 4 months every winter should I drain the tank for the winter to protect my fuel strip or store it full like my other bikes? I have heard ethanol fuel is hard on the fuel strip.

[dirtrider]

1 hour ago, Sam Boychuk said:

I live in Canada and store my bike for 4 months every winter should I drain the tank for the winter to protect my fuel strip or store it full like my other bikes? I have heard ethanol fuel is hard on the fuel strip.

Morning Sam

 

Ethanol fuel is hard on everything that it touches. 

 

Completely draining the tank, then flushing the fuel pump, flushing the fuel system & fuel injectors with a solvent, then completely sealing the fuel tank off would probably be the best but that is not practical.

 

I store most of my motorcycles through the winter & I live is a difficult storage area where we get a lot of drastic temperature changes through the winter with a lot of moisture in the air on the warmer days. 

 

I do not store any of my equipment with ethanol fuel in the fuel tank. There are few gas stations in my area that sell non-alcohol RV fuel (91 octane). 

 

Non-alcohol containing fuel stores so much better & a lot longer than E-10 does. 

 

On my hexhead 1200RT & GS I fill to the bottom of the filler ring with non-alcohol containing fuel  (this leaves a little expansion space above the fuel) then I put just a touch of 2 cycle oil in the fuel (I just guess but about an once of so) then I ride it until hot. This very lightly lubricates the full pump & fuel injectors).   The 2 cycle oil probably isn't needed but I have done that for years now & have NEVER had a spring start up issue or poor running at first startup after storage. 

 

If you can find some non-alcohol fuel use that if possible  (usually sold around lakes & boating areas) as water & alcohol containing fuel are not a good match. 

 

So fill your tank to the bottom of the filler ring (if you fill it higher it can push fuel out into the evap canister ruin that). 

 

If it gets cold (below freezing) then stays there all winter you probably won't have any storge issues.  The worst storage is if you are storing in a garage or shed that keeps going above & below freezing throughout the storage period. 

 

If moisture (even moist air) gets in with the alcohol containing fuel that can be a bad thing as the alcohol holds the moisture & that promotes corrosion & fuel degradation. 

 

Once in winter storage do not start the motorcycle until spring as it will never burn the combustion moisture out of the oil sitting still in cold weather.